


Just Fine

by Ceares



Category: Entourage
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-17
Updated: 2014-04-17
Packaged: 2018-01-19 17:44:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1478452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceares/pseuds/Ceares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I spent the whole month writing something else for this, so this fic is sort of a pinch hit at like literally the last moment. As usual, feel free to point out any errors.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Just Fine

**Author's Note:**

> I spent the whole month writing something else for this, so this fic is sort of a pinch hit at like literally the last moment. As usual, feel free to point out any errors.

Vince came downstairs to find Turtle and Drama playing a game of keep away with the car keys. “We waiting on E?”

Johnny shook his head. “Nah, he’s not coming. Got plans with his buddy.”

“Again?” Some guy from school that E knew had come down to visit. He’d been there a week so far, and they’d hardly seen Eric. Vince was starting to get…he wouldn’t use the word jealous, but certainly perturbed—maybe.

“Yep. Ari scored them tickets to Tannhauser.”

Turtle frowned “Tannawhat?”

“Tannhauser dummy." He gestured with his hand. "It’s Wagner’s most voluptuous opera. Which I certainly would not have minded an invite too, but _no_ , once again no love for Drama.”

He patted his brother on the back as they got to the car. "Aw!Johnny, I love you."

"I know you do bro."

Vince slid into the back of the car, stretching long legs across the seat. “What I want to know is how come they aren’t rolling with us? This guy spends--what? Like five minutes with us, and then we don’t see him again?”

“This guy has got a stick up his ass Vince. While E’s been out here, he’s been getting degrees up the wahoo. He thinks we’re a little crude” Turtle added air quotes to this, “and too immature.”

“Did E tell you that?”

Turtle shrugged. “Nah, I overheard them talking the other day.”

Vince sat up. “Well did E defend us at least?”

“Sort of, but you know E—he hates to offend anybody until he gets pissed off.”

“You know bro; I’m starting to think maybe E’s ashamed of us.”

 

@@@@@@@@@@

Vince was lingering over breakfast when E came down the next morning. He watched as the other man grabbed a glass of orange juice and sat down with his own plate, and he made sure Eric's mouth was full before he spoke.

“Are you ashamed of us E? Cause if you are, you should just say so.”

Eric coughed as a piece of toast went down the wrong way. “What the fuck are you talking about Vince? I say so all the time.” E laughed and Vince smacked him on the shoulder.

“No, I mean seriously. Your friend Kenneth’s been here a whole week and you haven’t spent one night with us.”

Eric took a swallow of juice, then put the glass down, doing a yawn-stretch move that was purely evasive. “We’ll hang with you guys before he goes back. He just wants to get a feel for the city—you know—with out all the ‘famous’ friend stuff.”

The cagey look in Eric’s eyes intrigued Vince. He didn’t really think Eric was embarrassed by them, but _something_ was going on.

 

@@@@@@@@@@

Drama had a meeting with costuming and Turtle rolled with him. Eric was once again with Kenneth, leaving Vince to meet with Ari alone.

Ari raised a brow at Vince's solo entrance. "Where's your shorter half?"

Vince shrugged. "He's having lunch with a friend."

"This wouldn't be the 'friend' from school would it?"

Ari laughed when Vince nodded. “Damn! I guess I really do have to watch Eric around Lloyd.”

“What?”

“Lloyd told me he saw E and his friend from college at the Abbey.”

“Yeah." He stretched out on the couch. "He’s been showing him around the city.”

“Looked like he was doing more than that.”

“What are you talking about Ari?”

Ari smirked. “Nothing, I’m just saying--Lloyd mentioned they seemed pretty _cosy_.”

Vince ignored the rolling in his stomach. He grinned at Ari, shaking his head. “No point in fucking with E when he’s not even here Ari. I’ll pass your worries about Lloyd along to him though.”

 

@@@@@@@@@@

 

Vince didn’t tell Eric what Ari had said. What he did do was keep badgering Eric about bringing Kenneth around until E finally gave in and invited Kenneth to dinner with them.

Vince watched them through dinner, and later at the club. He had to admit Eric was careful, but he knew him well enough that it was clear to him. There wasn’t much—a look here, a touch there, but he could definitely see why Eric had spent two weeks trying to keep them all apart. That more than anything convinced him he wasn’t seeing things. It was deliberate, and deliberate meant Eric was _trying_ to hide it.

Vince wasn’t sure what pissed him off more. That E had fucked some guy, or the lying about it. He only knew that Eric was breaking the rules left and right. This wasn’t how they played the game. E was the honest one, the 'true blue' guy. Misdirection, diversion, obfuscation, they were all part of his bag of tricks—not E’s. He pulled out the full bag that night too. Drinks had barely been served before he started with his ‘Vincent Chase--movie star’ persona.

They’d played before. Silly stuff for the crowd. Enough so that Turtle and Drama didn’t even realize anything was wrong. Eric did though. The more demanding and insufferable Vince got, the more puzzled looks that came his way.

At the club, they hung at the bar, with Eric dividing his attention between Vince and Kenneth while Turtle and Drama practiced their usual ‘hound dog’ routine. Kenneth leaned in and whispered something in E’s ear. Something that made his lids flutter down and a light flush rise.

Vince’s chest tightened and he downed his shot and turned away from them, flirting lightly with the bartender as he ordered another.

It was nearly one when Kenneth stood up. “Hey, I’m gonna head back to my hotel, I have a couple of meetings tomorrow.”

Eric stood with him. “Okay, just let me round up Turtle and Drama.”

“No, you guys stay here, finish out the night, I’ll get a taxi back.”

“Hey, we brought you; it’s no problem for us to take you back, right E?”

“Right. Kenny, are you sure?”

Kenneth’s smile, Vince noted, was a fake as his own. “Yes, seriously, it’s fine. I’ve disrupted you guys routine enough—don’t worry though, you only have to put up with me a few more days Vince.”

“Hey, any friend of E’s is a friend of ours.” Again the exchange of fake smiles that had Eric frowning.

“I tell you what. You can walk me out Eric.”

Vince didn’t mean to follow them, but after fifteen minutes and no E, he headed toward the club entrance. They were off to the side, heads bent towards each other, in intense conversation. Vince stood watching them, noting the way Kenneth’s hand rested on E’s shoulder in an almost urgent grasp. He couldn’t hear everything they were saying, though a few words floated toward him. Words like ‘wasted’ and ‘ridiculous and ‘New York’. Words that had Eric shaking his head, or arguing furiously, his own hand resting lightly on Kenneth’s shoulder. Words that left Vince cold and angry, that made it inevitable that he’d betray his presence.

They both looked his way, and Kenneth shook his head once more, this time speaking loud enough for Vince to hear. “You’d better go, your master calls.” He pulled away from Eric and quickly grabbed a taxi.

 

@@@@@@@@@@

They were silent on the way home, sitting as far apart in the back of the car as possible. The only communication between them was the occasional glare exchange. They drew uneasy looks from Turtle and Drama, before the other two grabbed Arnold's leash, leaving them alone.

Eric headed for the kitchen and Vince followed.

“What’s the deal? Are you fucking this guy E?”

“What? No. We’re friends, okay. That’s all.”

“But you did.” It wasn't a question. He knew it was true.

Eric stared at him mutely for a minute, a flush rising. “Okay look, yeah. It was just…it was a thing, wasn’t important, didn’t last long, and we’re still friends.”

“You never had _just_ a thing in your whole life.”

Eric shrugged, expression defiant. “Well apparently with a guy, I can.”

“Huh—well with your track record, you should stick with guys then.”

“Oh fuck you.”

“Maybe you should.” Vince heard the words come out of his mouth like they’d been written for him in a script. This wasn’t exactly going as planned. Not that he’d really had a plan per-se, but this wouldn’t have been it. Especially since Eric got angrier than Vince had ever seen him.

He literally shoved at Vince until his back was against the counter, hands raised defensively to ward him off.

“What.The.Fuck.Is.Your.Problem?”

There was no plan, but even so, this was the point in Vince’s head where E was supposed to be apologizing, and promising to stay away from Kenneth. He was not supposed to be so pissed he looked like he was going to explode, and attacking Vince. After all, Vince wasn’t the one cheating. Vince froze as the thought surfaced and he realized exactly what he’d been feeling.

He stared at his best friend a moment, then he leaned down, cupping one hand around Eric’s neck and pulling him in until their lips met.

“The hell?” Turtle stopped in the doorway abruptly, causing Johnny to run into his back.

Eric jerked back, flushed. “Fucking Christ, Vince! Everything is not about you.” He stormed out, pushing passed the other two standing in the door, mouths open in shock.

“Vince?”

“Bro?”

Tentative voices merged. Vince ignored them; too busy listening to the sound of Eric’s engine fading.

 

@@@@@@@@@@

Turtle and Drama cleared out until in Drama's words 'this stops being an episode of All My Children--well a really gay All My Children."

Vince was waiting for Eric when he got back a couple of hours later. "Can we talk?"

Eric eyed him warily for a moment, then nodded.

“Look I’m sorry. I was an ass okay. I just…” he shrugged. “I never thought you’d 'cross over', so to speak. But if you did, I would have thought it’d be…”

“You?”

Vince nodded. “Yeah. Pretty arrogant huh?”

“Actually yeah.”

He waited for E to say something else. When he didn't Vince shrugged, sliding his hands into his back pocket to keep from reaching over and touching Eric. "Do you..."

Eric sighed. "Jesus Vince. _Of course_ I do. But have you even thought this through? I mean really?"

He hadn't. He hadn't even known what _this_ was til yesterday. He wasn't going to tell Eric that though. Besides, it was E. Things would work out. "Yeah. It's gonna be great--trust me."

Eric shook his head. "You know I really love you Vince, but you are so full of shit."

He grinned. "I'm an actor. It's my job." He was still grinning when Eric leaned over and kissed him lightly, and then harder, one hand cupping his jaw. Yep, things were gonna work out just fine.


End file.
